Chem 130 Syllabus

The Big Picture

What Will I Learn?

Chem 130 provides an introduction to inorganic chemistry. Because this area of chemistry, even at an introductory level, is too broad to cover in a single semester, our content-specific goals are relatively modest; they are to...

• appreciate how we use the macroscopic properties of matter to draw conclusions about the microscopic structure of atoms and ions

• explain the structure of simple inorganic compounds using models for the covalent, ionic, and metallic bonding of atoms and ions

• understand how structure affects the reactivity of inorganic compounds

• learn how to investigate chemical reactivity in the laboratory

In addition to these content-specific goals, we also have several growth-oriented goals that are important to your development as a student in STEM and/or as an informed citizen; these are to...

• learn to identify patterns in data and to ask interesting questions about these patterns

• appreciate the utility of models as predictive tools

• increase your ability to think critically about abstract ideas

• improve your skills at solving problems

• become more comfortable working in the laboratory, particularly as part of a collaborative team, and to communicate better the results of your work in lab

How Can I Be Successful in Chem 130?

Whatever your background in chemistry and biochemistry, specifically, and in STEM disciplines, more generally, and in addition to your usual academic commitments—attending class and lab, completing assignments, and preparing for exams, to name a few items—commit yourself to...

• focusing on our growth-oriented goals as much as you focus on our content-specific goals by identifying the new skills you are developing and the existing skills you are strengthening

• participating in class and in lab by taking advantage of our time together by being an active, engaged learner

• collaborating with your classmates in class, in lab, and outside of class and lab; this class is not a competition and you have much to learn from each other and to teach each other

• reflecting every day, even if for just a few minutes, on your most recent class or lab, looking for connections between what you learn in class and what you do in lab; between a new topic and topics covered earlier in the semester; or between this course and other courses you are taking or have completed

• asking questions in-class and out-of-class; of yourself, of me, and of each other; to clarify uncertainty or to satisfy curiosity

The Nitty-Gritty Details

What Resources Do I Need?

The textbook for this course is the second edition of Chemistry: Atoms First, a free textbook available from OpenStax. You may choose to access the textbook through a browser, but you may also download it as a pdf file, download it to a Kindle, download it as an app, or order a print version. Visit the textbook's website to explore your options. If you choose to download the app, there is an option to purchase access to a set of videos; as the cost is not trivial (≈$15/mo) and as none of these videos are assigned, you may wish to decline this option. No textbook is a perfect match for a course: you will find that our textbook explores some topics at a greater depth than will we and that it explores other topics more superficially than will we. As needed, we will supplement the textbook with additional resources, which are available through the daily class schedule.

We will make frequent use of Spartan, a molecular modeling software program that allows us to study the properties of molecules. If you already have a copy from Chem 120, then you are all set. If you do not have a copy of Spartan, then you will need to purchase a licensee; details will follow later.

You will need a notebook that you can bring to lab and use to take detailed notes on your work in lab. This notebook should not be one you need for other classes and/or labs as you will turn it in periodically during the semester.

How Will I Be Evaluated?

Your work is evaluated in four ways: three unit exams (45%); regular take-home assignments (15%); a final exam (15%), and lab work (25%). See the lab schedule for information on lab reports.

Letter grades are assigned using the following scale:

• A (≥ 93.0); A- (90.0 – 92.9)

• B+ (87.0 – 89.9); B (83.0 – 86.9); B- (80.0 – 82.9)

• C+ (77.0 – 79.9); C (73.0 – 76.9); C- (70.0 – 72.9)

• D+ (67.0 – 69.9); D (63.0 – 66.9); D- (60.0 – 62.9)

• F (< 60.0)

Final averages are not rounded; to earn a grade of B instead of a grade of B-, for example, you need a final average of ≥83.0. These ranges are fixed with the following caveats:

• At the instructor's discretion, a grade on a borderline may be increased or be decreased by a maximum of one point to account for intangible factors. For example, a 79.7 (C+) may become an 80.7 (B-) or an 80.7 (B-) might become a 79.7 (C+). Intangible factors include, but are not limited to, a particularly strong or weak final exam, a steady improvement or decline in your performance during the term, or a particularly strong or weak contribution to the class or lab. These adjustments are not common.

• To pass the course, you must have either a combined average of 60% on the three unit exams and you must complete all laboratory work.

What If I Need To Miss Class or Lab?

A textbook is a poor substitute for the active learning that takes place in a classroom, which is why attendance and participation during our class times is important. If you need to miss class for any reason, be sure to check in with a classmate to review what we covered and/or drop by office during office hours.

You are required to attend all lab sessions, arriving on time and ready to work. If you need to miss lab, please be in touch before lab begins; we will find an alternative time when you can make appropriate contributions to your group's lab work.

Why Are We Working Collaboratively In Groups?

Our approach to studying the structure and properties of inorganic compounds—both in class and in lab— relies on collaboration. In class you will work in small groups to complete worksheets that introduce topics central to the course, and in lab you will work in small groups to design experiments and to analyze data.

Working with other students as part of a small collaborative group can be a rewarding experience. There is an abundance of evidence in the educational literature that the process of discussing a problem or an experiment with peers leads to a deeper understanding of the specific topic or experiment and the broader science that underlies the topic or experiment. In addition, working as part of a group is a valuable skill that is of increasing importance to employers, to graduate programs, and to health professionals. Indeed, you will spend most of your professional career working closely with others.

Medical schools (and other health-related professional schools and programs), and graduate programs in chemistry and biochemistry increasingly are interested in much more than your GPA and your scores on the MCAT, DAT, or GRE exam. Increasingly, these programs are interested in softer skills. As you complete your work in this course, you may find it useful to consider the following question and ranking categories posed to faculty members writing recommendations for medical schools.

Describe how the applicant has, or has not, demonstrated any of the following competencies that are necessary for success in medical school.

• Service Orientation: Demonstrates a desire to help others...

• Social Skills: Demonstrates an awareness of others’ needs, goals, feelings, and the ways that social and behavioral cues affects peoples’ interactions and behaviors...

• Cultural Competence: ...shows an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity...

• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals; shares information and knowledge with others...; puts team goals ahead of individual goals.

• Oral Communication: ...listens effectively...

• Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others: Behaves in an honest and ethical manner; cultivates personal and academic integrity...

• Reliability and Dependability: Consistently fulfills obligations in a timely and satisfactory manner; takes responsibility for personal actions and performance.

• Resilience and Adaptability: Demonstrates tolerance of stressful or changing environments or situations and adapts effectively to them; is persistent, even under difficult situations; recovers from setbacks.

• Capacity for Improvement: Sets goals for continuous improvement and for learning new concepts and ideas; engages in reflective practice for improvement...

[Adapted From "Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation for a Medical School Applicant".]

When I write a letter of recommendation for any program—internship programs, off–campus study, summer research opportunities, medical schools, graduate schools, etc.—I draw heavily on these competencies. More specifically, I describe examples of how your participation in our shared work, both in class and in lab, contributed to creating an effective, positive, and supportive learning environment that was of benefit to all of us.

How Do I Submit Work For Evaluation?

We will be mostly paper-free this semester. With the exception of unit exams, all of the materials you need to complete the course are available through shared folders on Google Drive that you can link to from the course website; I will share a few items by email.

With the exception of unit exams, you will submit work for evaluation by email as a PDF file with a defined file name that allows me to keep track of your work in Goodnotes, the app I use to respond to work. Files must be in PDF format to ensure that your content is not lost when I bring your work into Goodnotes. You can prepare these files in a number of ways:

• If you have a tablet or other device that allows you to mark up the PDF documents I share with you, then you will already have the document in the correct file type.

• If you prepare your work using Word or Google Docs, you can save it as a PDF file. Please do not send your file as a link to a shared Google Doc.

• If you choose to work with paper and pen or pencil, then you can take a photo of your work and use a program such as Apple's Preview to convert it to a PDF file. You can also use a scanner app to scan and save a document as a PDF file. I use Scanner Pro, which is available for free, but there are many other options. Please do not send image files, such as those with .png or .jpg extensions, as these can be too large to work with and are difficult to annotate.

Assignments turned in using other formats or incorrect file names will be returned to you with a request to resubmit using the appropriate format and/or file name. If you find that you cannot convert files into a PDF format, please let me know and we will identify a solution that will work for you. Technology should not be the limiting factor in successfully completing this course.

What If I Need Additional Time For An Assignment?

Because I value thoughtful, well-written, and well-reasoned work more than absolute deadlines, the due dates for most assignments allow for some flexibility.

• Individual Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, there is no penalty for turning in an individual assignment within 24 hours of its deadline. In addition, for up to two individual assignments you may request an additional extension of 48 hours (for a total extension of 72 hours); you must inform me that you are using one of your additional 48-hour extensions in advance of the assignment's original due date. Additional delays in submitting assignments carry a loss of one point per 24 hours.

• Group Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, there is no penalty for turning in the final product of a group assignment 48 hours after its deadline. Additional delays in submitting assignments carry a loss of one point per 24 hours.

Getting Help During the Semester

When Can I Stop By With Questions?

Office hours provide time and space for asking questions about topics we have covered in class or lab, or assignments on which you are working. Feel free to stop by my office (Julian 364) at any of the following times, either individually or with others; no appointment needed!

• Mondays from 11:00am – noon and from 2:00pm – 4:00pm

• Tuesdays: no official office hours, but you can find me in Julian 362 during the afternoon

• Wednesdays from from 11:00am – noon and from 2:00pm – 4:00pm

• Thursdays from 9:00am – 11:00am

• Fridays from from 11:00am – noon and from 2:00pm – 4:00pm

If you wish to schedule an appointment at another time, please catch me before or after class or lab, send me an email, or just drop by my office and see if I am free. If you wish to meet virtually, send me an email with some times when you are free.

Can I Ask Questions By E-Mail?

I check my email regularly between 8am and 8pm and try to respond each day to queries received during this time. Be sure to check your email at least once per day as email is my primary means of sharing information with you.

Is There A STEM Guide?

DePauw’s STEM Guide program is a student-focused tutoring program that provides you with additional support for you work both in class and in lab. This semester, your STEM Guide is Molly Ruggles, who completed Chem 130 with me in spring 2020. Molly will attend some class sessions and will hold office hours each week (additional details on times and making arrangements for meeting with Molly will come later). You will find that Molly is an excellent resource.

Can I Get Help Through The Academic Resource Center

Although our course is not a Q-course, the Academic Resource Center does offer peer-tutors for Chem 130. You can access a schedule and make appointments using this link: https://depauw.mywconline.com/.

Coronovirus Protocols

We will follow all university protocols for COVID-19. When university requires the use of masks, then you must do so during class and lab using an appropriate mask that properly covers both the mouth and the nose. If due to COVID you are placed in isolation or in quarantine, or if you need to return home for a period of time, then you will be able to work on class and lab materials in a remote, asynchronous fashion.

Selected DePauw University Policies

Academic Integrity

Although you may make frequent use of external resources when completing an assignment, it is important that the work you submit represents your understanding of the assignment. A failure to do so is unethical and a serious breach of academic integrity. Be sure to review DePauw's guidelines for academic integrity, which are included in the Student Handbook; in particular, review the examples of plagiarism. Although often unintentional, plagiarism nevertheless is a serious violation and may result in a significant reduction in your grade for an assignment or for the course. Be sure to consult with me if you are unsure about any issue concerning academic integrity.

Student Accessibility Services

It is the policy and practice of DePauw University to provide reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. Written notification from Student Accessibility Services is required. If you are eligible to receive an accommodation and would like to request it for this course, please contact Student Accessibility Services. Allow one-weeks advance notice to ensure enough time for reasonable accommodations to be made. Otherwise, it is not guaranteed that the accommodation can be provided on a timely basis. Accommodations are not retroactive. Students who have questions about Student Accessibility Services or who have, or think they may have, a disability (psychiatric, attentional, learning, vision, hearing, physical, medical, etc.) are invited to contact Student Accessibility Services for a confidential discussion. Student Accessibility Services is located in Union Building Suite 208 and can be reached by phone at 765-658-6267. Please feel free to reach out to me privately and confidentially if you have questions about the nature of our course assignments.

Religious Accommodations

DePauw accommodates students who are adherents of a religious tradition and wish to fulfill obligations of that religious tradition on holy days. Students are expected to notify their instructors of their intent to fulfill the obligations of their religious tradition well in advance of these days. For the sake of this policy, “holy days” are defined as periods of time in which either activities required by normal class participation are prohibited by a religious tradition, or a special worship obligation is required by a religious tradition.